What is Kymaerica?

Kymaerica is the name of a continent in a universe that is parallel to our linear world.  Some people call this parallel universe Kymaerica as well, some call it the Kaimarra, some call it the Other Umbrasphere, but, geographically, it is largely consistent with our own. For example, continent Kymaerica is very similar to our linear North America, but the stories that happened there are quite different. Like most of the continents, Kymaerica is divided into what are called gwomes, which is a cognate term meaning "footprint of the nation."  These tend to be human cultures, but not necessarily.  There is a nice map at the bottom of this page.

This project is a story (actually alot of stories), but what some people find to be unexpected and enriching (or just frustrating/irritating/mysterious in some cases) is some of the ways it is told.  We call it three dimensional story telling:

Even though there are books ...

And even though there are talks and presentations as well as webcontent

...the heart of the story telling experience so far is physical: we install plaques  and create historical sites  honoring events from the alternative world in our linear world. We have also released our first travel guide for this world.  You can visit these places and learn a new narrative for that land.  The Kymaerica project is like writing a book and putting every page in a different city, so where you are and finding your way there (or asking a friend to send you a picture of it if you are too far away)—all enrich the story. As Geographer-at-Large, I also enjoy giving talks about the worlds of Kymaerica.

We have done a couple of bus tours (in London and in Georgia so far).

A kymaerican spelling bee in Paris (US)

There is some video and there will be more.

The project is supported by selling the books and also gallery shows we have from time to time. The Texture Flags and Digital Prints are particular favorites. There is a show in Terre Haute (US) right now; there is work available in galleries in London (UK) and Athens (US. The Event Calendar is usually pretty right on.

This project is a serious endeavor (in that we put a lot into it) and it is fun (in that alot people have a great time).  Sometimes people ask if I do anything else besides being the Geographer-at-Large.

So, with all that in mind, here are some ways to start at this site:

A list of the plaques installed so far

A map of one continent (Kymaerica) is fairly interactive and permits you to drill down to the gwome level and see if we have done any research there. We are working on a similar one for Endlen Kymhuir

The Kymaerican Historical Site in Joshua Tree

The Kymaerican Historical Site in Paris, Illinois

The Blog of Kymaerican Events and research developments

A straight forward list of upcoming events

The sign-up for the email list

Hoping to see you at one of our events some day,

Best,

Eames Demetrios
Geographer-at-Large